It’s been three weeks since my last post. As you might guess, I’ve been busy with new faculty orientation and the first days of class. The topic of “being new again” seems too timely to pass up today; I’ll save lab design for another post (soon, I promise!) Continue reading
When I was a newly minted assistant professor at Grinnell, at first I didn’t know many people beyond my department and the other new faculty. There were the Dean, the division chairs, and the HR representative I met during my interview. I’m sure I met a librarian and some folks from Student Affairs during New Faculty Orientation. But there were whole offices I would only gradually become aware of during the nine years that I spent there.
Starting a new program at Whitman means getting to know these folks very quickly. I’ve sought some out, and some have sought me out. This blog post will address my relationships at Whitman thus far.
Leaving Grinnell was hard. July 1 is the date I physically left Grinnell, and July 31 was my official resignation date, but the truth is it was a process of many months.
The first step was realizing I could leave.
Please note: Whitman College is hiring two tenure-track faculty members in computer science, research area open, beginning in August 2016. Apply online by September 20 for full consideration.
As described in my previous post, immediately after signing my contract with Whitman I engaged with the process of proposing a minor. I also was immediately involved in hiring a visiting faculty member for next year. Soon after, I would also be drawn into searches for a technical staff position and the two tenure-track positions advertised above. Continue reading
Before the ink was even dry on my contract, Albert already had me working on curriculum. I signed my contract with Whitman on January 13; the very next day I had an email from Albert about proposing a CS minor under the auspices of the newly renamed Department of Mathematics and Computer Science.
Why a minor? Continue reading
A year ago today, I was at the CRA‘s biennial chairs’ summit at Snowbird, having never been a department chair myself. At home, I was preparing to teach a new software development course, putting up jam, and planning a renovation project. I had no interest in leaving Grinnell and no idea I would soon be founding a new computer science program. So how did I get here? Continue reading
Two weeks ago today, I arrived in Walla Walla with my intrepid husband, Brooks, and our two anxious cats. My mission: To build a brand new computer science program at Whitman College.
Although this is the first post in my new blog, “Counting from Zero,” it is by no means the beginning of the story. In this post, I’ll narrate my arrival at Whitman and my first two weeks here. My story briefly introduces many of the players and many topics for future posts. Continue reading
Counting From Zero 